Slip received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.
Following find an interview with author L. Ryan Storms.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
Slip, to be published 15 April 2025
What’s the book’s first line?
Reader, I have no idea how old I am.
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
A high school junior with crippling anxiety slips 9 minutes and 53 seconds into the past with each panic attack, and when a sandy-haired boy with hazel eyes and a dimple in one cheek tries to whisk her off her feet, she’s caught between first love and paralyzing fear.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
What started as a passing comment to my anxious teen turned into an “I should write that” moment. All in all, I desperately want teens with anxiety to know they don’t have to hide their disorder from the world, that having an anxiety disorder is not a fault, and that sharing their fears and worries with the people who love them actually makes them stronger individuals. (Plus, sometimes anxiety leads to some really funny moments…)
Essentially, Slip was born of the desire to empower increasingly anxious kids in a world that demands so much. While I have experience writing YA fantasy, this is the first time I’ve delved into magical realism, and this book really became the book of my heart…especially since I’ve been managing my own anxiety disorder for over twenty-five years.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
Read the book for entertainment, certainly (it is fiction, after all), but also for the humanity. Slip is really about embracing our connection with others and realizing we don’t have to ‘go it alone.’ Sometimes the emotions we bottle up and hide inside can bring us together when we dare to express them. They can lead to a huge sigh of relief and a “me, too!” moment for others, creating a healthy support network.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?
Given the nature of the book, the most distinctive thing about PJ Ellis is her ability to slip backwards in time whenever she has a panic attack. I’ve had a lot of panic attacks. While they do feel like they alter the fabric of time itself and like they really will last forever, they don’t actually send you slipping back in time, so…
Who does PJ remind me of in the real world? PJ is 100% me as a teen. (Minus the cross-country thing. Like PJ’s best friend Mariana, L. Ryan Storms doesn’t run. No thank you.) PJ’s ridiculous insecurities, her circular thoughts, her useless knowledge (origin of the word ‘dork’ anyone?) and horrible puns? All me. PJ’s internal monologue is my teenage brain…or at least the pieces I remember of it. It’s been a few deca— ahem, years. It’s been a few years.
When did you first decide to become an author?
I decided to become an author at age eight when I wrote my first book on looseleaf paper with a pencil. It was called The Magic Roller Skates, and it was really, really bad. (Even then, I was obsessed with fantasy, though.)
I actually decided to pursue a career as an author seriously in my mid-thirties when I realized that no one was responsible for making my dreams come true except for me.
Is this the first book you’ve written?
Slip is the eighth book I’ve written, but the sixth to be published. The other five are all young adult fantasy. I’ve written a complete trilogy and two standalone fantasies. All can be found at www.lryanstorms.com (or anywhere online where books are sold).
What do you do for work when you’re not writing?
I’ve worked many jobs from pharmaceutical microbiologist, to technical writer, to non-profit animal welfare administrator, to library PR and social media manager. I left full-time work around the time my husband was diagnosed with cancer in 2016-2017 and I was needed to “hold down the fort” at home. We discovered life was a lot less hectic with one parent at home to take care of driving the kids from school to appointments to lessons, etc. And so, my current full-time role is the default parent.
Not working full time outside of the house gives me an incentive to volunteer my time where I can. I can frequently be found caring for the neighborhood stray animals and I also serve on our school board of directors.
How much time do you generally spend on your writing?
It varies from week to week, depending on the schedule. I will have months where I’m not writing at all, where a story is percolating in my brain, and then I’ll have months at a time where I write every day as much as I possibly can. I’m very erratic. But I’m almost always thinking of a story, even when I’m not in front of the computer.
What’s the best and the hardest part of being an indie?
The best part of being an indie author is having creative control and being in charge of what kind of story you truly want to tell. The hardest? Probably the same thing. Having complete control is awesome until it’s terrifyingly open-ended and you feel like whatever direction you take is the wrong one. I can understand why many writers prefer a literary agent as their compass.
What’s a great piece of advice that you can share with fellow indie authors?
Forget about writing for the market. Write the stories that move you. When you write something that resonates with you, it’s also going to resonate with others just like you, readers who are looking for stories like yours. Not only will you be creating something you love, you’ll discover a whole tribe of like-minded readers ready to welcome you into their worlds.
Would you go traditional if a publisher came calling? If so, why?
I wouldn’t necessarily turn a traditional publisher away, but I also don’t know that I would immediately want to jump at an offer. One true advantage trad pub has over indie is market reach, and well…yes, wouldn’t every author love to reach a wider audience?
That said, I would be very particular about how I might go about accepting an offer from a traditional publishing house as the last thing I would want to do is disenfranchise my readers or alter my stories in some way just to turn a profit.
Is there something in particular that motivates you (fame? fortune?)
The very stubborn nature of my creativity. That’s it. I write because my brain won’t stop thinking up stories. So I might as well take those silly character voices in my head and put them to entertaining use.
Which writer, living or dead, do you most admire?
This is a tough one. I admire so many different writers that I really don’t think I can narrow it down. I really would have liked to meet Anne McCaffrey, I think. She was the first author I ever read who neatly tied together fantasy and science fiction and, as a teen, I just fell in love with the depth of her worldbuilding.
Which book do you wish you could have written?
Hmm, can I provide a handful? There are some books that stay with you, stories that make a perfect circle and really just leave you with that feeling of completeness. I’d have to say:
Strange the Dreamer (Duology) by Laini Taylor
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by Victoria E. Schwab
The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown
The Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden
Uprooted by Naomi Novik